Greek PM meets power brokers to boost economy

ATHENS – Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will host Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker and talk to the leaders of France and Germany this month, the state news agency said on Friday, in his bid to salvage Greece’s sagging economy.The semi-official Athens News Agency said Juncker would visit Athens on Aug. 22 and that Samaras would travel to Paris to meet French President Francois Hollande on Aug. 24 and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Aug. 25.
Samaras was prevented from travelling soon after taking power in June because of eye surgery but his government had promised he would embark on a European tour to win support for Greece’s demand for more time to hit targets under its bailout.
The government has since put that hope on the backburner while it tries to regain credibility with lenders, who must decide in September whether to give Greece its next tranche of aid and prevent it from going bankrupt.
Juncker’s trip follows a visit last week by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who offered a public show of support to Samaras in Athens but warned that it was time Greece finally delivered on its promises.